Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Conservatives need a not-Romney
Vol. 121, No. 5 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
STATE’S NEXT CENTURY
SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico’s Hispanic population over the next 100 years will grow to be the majority ethnic group, regardless of federal immigration policy, a local researcher and pollster predicts. At the same time, the number of senior citizens in the state who depend on government services - PAGE A6
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Pfc. Christopher Clay home on leave • Henderson seeks re-election ... • NEA inducts Waldrip into State Hall of Fame • Is it spring yet? • Torre quits MLB to pursue Dodgers ...
INSIDE SPORTS
January 6, 2012
FRIDAY
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AP Photo
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum campaigns in West Des Moines, Iowa, Jan 3.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Prominent conservative leaders want their rank and file to quickly get behind a single presidential candidate — Rick Santorum now seems the likeliest — fearful that persistent splits will help Mitt Romney win the Republican nomination. “While no political candidate, or human being for that matter, is perfect, Rick Santorum’s baggage contains his clothes,” CatholicVote.org president Brian Burch said Thursday, after Santorum’s virtual tie with Romney in Iowa won the support of the
78 dead in Iraq bombings
BAGHDAD (AP) — An apparently coordinated wave of bombings targeting Shiite Muslims killed at least 78 people in Iraq on Thursday, the second largescale assault by militants since U.S. forces pulled out last month. The attacks, which bore the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents, come ahead of a Shiite holy day that draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across Iraq, raising fears of a deepening of sectarian bloodshed. Rifts along the country’s Sunni-Shiite faultline just a few years ago pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war. The bombings in Baghdad and
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600,000-member online organization. “Republicans hoping to win back the White House in November must unite behind the candidate most dedicated to the foundational issues of faith, family and freedom.” Romney narrowly won the Iowa caucuses when conservative voters split their support among several challengers, and the worry is that the same thing will happen in South Carolina, Florida and beyond if Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry all stay in the race.
In the afterglow of Santorum’s unexpectedly narrow loss to Romney in Iowa, leaders on the right who have been scarcely engaged in the rollicking Republican contest began buzzing about the prospect of endorsing the former Pennsylvania senator with the solid conservative credentials — or someone else such as Gingrich who has deep conservative roots. To discuss how to proceed, some of those leaders have set up meetings from Washington to Texas before the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary. That vote could
prove pivotal, given that the Republicans who have won the state for decades have eventually become the party’s nominees. Interviews with a number of leaders, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid, indicated that Santorum was emerging as the preferred alternative to Romney, though a few still are watching Gingrich. Not one mentioned Perry, who announced he would reassess his campaign in light of a fifth-place showSee GOP, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Governor proposes tax cuts Salazar pushes for See IRAQ, Page A3
Geese take flight Thurday afternoon at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge during the height of migration season.
NMMI TAPS FORCHTNER
The goal of nearly every person who gets into the coaching profession is to one day be a head coach. Joe Forchtner is no exception to that. And now he’ll get his chance. The 33-year-old was officially named head coach of the New Mexico Military Institute Bronco football program on Thursday. “Roswell has been really good to me. I moved here just to work six years ago and I ended up meeting my wife and starting my family here. ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARY
• Robert Fred Corn - PAGE A6
HIGH ...67˚ LOW ....27˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
AP Photo
Gov. Susana Martinez, center, with Public Education Sec. Hanna Skandera, left, and Finance and Administration Sec. Tom Clifford, introduces her budget proposal for the upcoming legislative session, in Santa Fe, Thursday.
SANTA FE (AP) — Businesses and veterans are in line for tax cuts of $55 million next year under a budget plan outlined Thursday by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez. When the Democraticcontrolled Legislature convenes later this month, the governor’s tax cut propos-
als will spark a sharp debate on whether the state should use some of next year’s expected revenue growth to create jobs and stimulate the economy or focus available money on programs and services. A key legislative committee has recommended a budget that left almost no
room for tax cuts next year and instead increased spending to restore some cuts made in recent years. Martinez proposed spending $5.6 billion from the state’s main budget account in the fiscal year that starts July 1. That represents a 3.6 percent or $194 million increase. The Legislative Finance Committee has proposed a 4.6 percent or $250 million budget increase. The committee’s recommendation will serve as a starting point for lawmakers as they make spending decisions in the upcoming 30-day session, which starts Jan. 17. For the first time since 2009, lawmakers aren’t facing the prospect of plugging a budget shortfall. The state has an estimated pool of $254 million in “new” money available for budget increases or to cover the cost of tax cuts. The money comes from improvement in the state’s economy, including increased revenues from oil and natural gas production.
coordination on Middle Rio Grande ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — As part of his two-day trip through the West, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was in New Mexico on Thursday to begin discussions on the development of consensus around conservation and water security along the Middle Rio Grande. Salazar brought together water, land and wildlife managers, conservation groups, ranchers and others to start talking about the longterm future of the river in central New Mexico. Salazar gave officials until July 1 to lay the groundwork for a recovery and restoration plan along a 100-mile stretch of the river. His goal was to avoid conflicts as more pressure is put on the river to meet endangered species needs and
the demands of a growing population — all while facing a persistent drought. Salazar told the group he wants to avoid legal battles that could end up costing millions of dollars. “That doesn’t do a lot of good to provide certainty for the development of our natural resource, nor does it do a lot of good in terms of protecting and preserving the habitat that is really needed for the protection of wildlife,” he said. “I want us to figure out a way to move forward.” Fed by headwaters in Colorado and northern New Mexico, the river provides drinking water to some of the state’s See SALAZAR, Page A2
Former prosecutor Janet Ellis seeks GOP nod for DA post JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B3 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 STATE ...................A6 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Janet Ellis
Janet Ellis, who served as a prosecutor under former District Attorney Tom Rutledge, is seeking the Republican nomination for district attorney in the 5th Judicial District. This district includes Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties. Janetta Hicks currently holds the position. Before going to school, Ellis worked for a telephone company for many years. She was the first female switchman in the state of Montana.
See TAX, Page A2
Ellis attended the University of Montana, where she studied interpersonal communications and political science. She later returned to the university to pursue law, graduating from the law school at the age of 50. Ellis has worked as an attorney for a wide array of sources including the Montana Public Service Commission, the Navajo Nation’s department of justice and a small business. In 2007, she opened her own law office, Ellis Law. The practice mainly handles family law and criminal defense cases. Through her practice, Ellis has a
contract with the Public Defenders Department in Eddy County to handle some of their over flow cases. As for her recent ambition of being elected DA, Ellis said, “They aren’t doing the job right. If the job’s not being done right, and if I’m going to complain about it, then I have to be willing to step up and take the responsibility, and I’m willing to do that.” Ellis cited as her first priority, if she is elected, to reestablish the partnership with law enforcement in the area. This partnership was strong under Tom Rutledge
when he served as DA. “When you saw them on the street they would honk and wave to you, and you would do the same back. They don’t do that anymore.” Ellis also hopes to rebuild the staff throughout the DA’s of fice and make sure they are adequately trained. “I know there are good attorneys working in the DA’s of fice. Here (in Roswell), Carlsbad, Hobbs, there are good attorneys working in those offices,” she said. See ELLIS, Page A3